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We have started with 100% “Poder Naranja” (Spanish academy Spirit) in the Spanish Academy this week. The RAs and myself have already seen improvement among our students! It’s been great to see students start from saying very few words to sentences and we are so excited for what is ahead!

As part of the MMLA adventure, students are expected to participate in an Evening Assembly. The evening assembly is a chance for the students to show off all the great things they’ve learned in their electives and classes to their teachers, classmates, and the “mentores.” (RAs)

The sun is up, the sky is blue, and the students here at MMLA Pomona are out enjoying the pleasant summer weather. Yesterday’s perfect temperature allowed many of the students to get their workout on during activity time.

Yesterday, our students learned about one of the most important activities in Comillas: Fishing. Long time ago, Comillas was known by it’s whale fishing industry. However, the extinction of these animals in the region (Cantabrian Sea) force Comillas’ fishermen to practice the regular fishing. Nowadays, fishing is one of the most economic activities in Comillas. It’s port is an important site not only for fishermen but also for tourists.

Our students, during our morning assembly had to represent (act) themes related to the sea, fishing, and the like.

Yesterday evening French Academy students got the chance to experience the sounds of West African drums. In addition to learning about the scope of the French-speaking world, students also learned how to break it down, West African style.

The morning assembly is a 20-minute slot in the daily schedule (after breakfast and before class) where residential assistants (RAs) present to the students to get them pumped up for the day and excited about learning their target language.

On Wednesday evening with the sun setting in the background and the Claremont breeze cooling down the warm California day, the Spanish Academy experienced an authentic piece of Mexican culture with a live mariachi band performance. The Spanish Academy students had prepared for the mariachi band’s arrival by watching film on the importance and significance of the folk music in Mexico and how it can bring people and a country together.

An essential part of any day at MMLA is activity time. Breaking away from the structured academic setting of the morning hours, students are able to participate in a variety of activities that they would normally enjoy in their daily lives - all while adhering to the language pledge, of course.

For any soccer fans in the Arabic Academy who worried about missing the action of the Nigeria vs. Argentina World Cup match, all fears were set aside when some of the Arabic RAs set up a screening of the match, along with some accompanying Arabic music in the background.

There are lots of events happening here on any given day at MMLA Pomona that are not specifically academic (shocking, right? You had no idea given our other blog posts). But what actually goes on inside the classroom? Today we decided to take a peek into what goes down around campus during cultural activity hours.

First, we stopped by at the Chinese Academy, where teacher Zhousu He was conducting a puppet show with students acting out short scenes, which were evenmorefun in person than they look in the photos!